Security of Europe, Asia cannot be separated: NATO military chief (This week Recap)
It has been a fascinating and eventful week for #UNC and many #NATSEC experts. I've compiled some of the key stories that seem particularly relevant:
The Republic of #Korea's Ministry of National Defense hosted several significant events, including the #REAIM #AI summit, the UNC Member States Defense Ministerial (co-hosted with Canadian MOD), and the Seoul Defense Dialogue (#SDD). This busy agenda marks a notable start for the new Minister of Defense, Kim Yong-hyun.
#Seoul was abuzz with world political and military leaders sharing their perspectives. #NorthKorea made headlines with ballistic missile launches and a showcase of its #uranium enrichment facility, while #Ukraine reported discovering North Korean-made missiles. Meanwhile, #China and #Russia conducted one of their largest naval exercises since Soviet era, with the news of Russia supplying China with advanced #submarine, #aeronautics, and #missile technologies. #NATO's Chief emphasized the inseparable nature of security concerns between #Asia and #Europe, and a leading Japanese political candidate has called for an Asian version of NATO. All the while, Canadian defence minister Blair said, “I think there are unlimited areas of cooperation between Canada and Japan.”
On the #geopolitical front, UK says Iran’s delivery of its missiles to Russia changed the debate on Ukraine using western provided long range missiles against Russia, #Iran’s president made his first official visit to #Iraq, #India’s National Security Council advisor traveled to Russia, and Chinese suppliers to #Pakistan’s ballistic missile program have been sanctioned. The international relations landscape remains as dynamic as ever.
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#NorthKorea
The weapons are needed for "self-defence and the capability for a preemptive attack," he said.
Kimsuky-linked hackers use similar tactics to attack Russia and South Korea, researchers say (therecord.media)
The threat actor known as Konni, which has been previously linked to the North Korean state-sponsored group Kimsuky, is intensifying its attacks on South Korea and Russia, according to a recent?report.
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#UkraineWar
“Ukraine has limited air defense options to shoot down ballistic missiles like the Hwasong, and Patriots are the key weapon system for that,” Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, said in an interview. “They only have a limited number of Patriot batteries and missiles, so Ukraine can only defend a few key areas, and the Russians can put cities at risk as well as targets on the front lines.”
The delivery of Iranian missiles to Russia has changed the debate about Ukraine using Western-provided long-range missiles against targets inside Russia, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has told the BBC on a visit to Kyiv.
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#REAIM (Responsible AI in the Military Domain Summit)
REAIM Summit 2024: China refuses to sign agreement to ban AI from controlling nuclear weapons | World News - Times of India (indiatimes.com)
#UNC Specific
(LEAD) S. Korea, UNC member states urge Russia, N. Korea to 'immediately' cease military cooperation | Yonhap News Agency (yna.co.kr)
(LEAD) Defense chief, envoys of UNC member states agree to enhance security cooperation | Yonhap News Agency (yna.co.kr)
South Korea’s nuclear weapon ambition?
South Korea scraps anti-nuclear policy with approval of two nuclear plants - KED Global The approval came eight years and three months after Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) applied for construction approval in 2016.
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#Russia-#China
Russia said on Wednesday that its partnership with China was not aimed against third countries but the two powers could "combine potential" if faced with a threat from the United States.
"I would like to remind you that Moscow and Beijing will respond to 'double containment' by the United States with 'double counteraction'," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said when asked about a possible deployment of U.S. missiles in Japan.
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The Russian defense ministry said the week-long war games will include 90,000 troops, 400 warships, submarines and support vessels, along with 120 planes and helicopters spread across the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, and the Mediterranean, Caspian and Baltic Seas. #Ocean24
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Type 096 Submarine: U.S. Accuses Russia Of "Gifting" Cutting-Edge Tech To China For Help On Ukraine War (eurasiantimes.com)
“This is no longer about dual-use technologies,” Campbell said, referring to items that can be used for both civilian and military purposes. “These are component pieces of a very substantial effort by China to help sustain and diversify various elements of the Russian war machine.”
Beijing and Moscow's spy operations,?including the recruitment of agents,?are increasingly overlapping within the European Union, a senior European intelligence official told POLITICO, as security analysts point to growing attempts by Beijing to influence EU affairs.?
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#Russia-#India
Relations between Moscow and New Delhi are gaining momentum and developing, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday at a meeting with Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
Doval's visit to Russia coincided with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar's trip to Switzerland. Speaking at the Geneva Center for Security Policy, Jaishankar highlighted the need to mediate peace talks by nations that are not seen in one country as representing the interests of the other side.
Can India help resolve Russia-Ukraine conflict? What Italian PM Giorgia Meloni said | India News - Times of India (indiatimes.com)
During a panel discussion at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Thursday, Putin mentioned that he was in contact with India, Brazil, and China regarding the Ukraine conflict.?
#Germany-#China
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#Canada-#China
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#Canada-#Japan
“I think there are unlimited areas of cooperation between Canada and Japan,” Defense Minister Bill Blair said in Tokyo.
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#Japan
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#Pakistan-#China
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?#Asia version of #NATO
Shigeru Ishiba, a candidate in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election, expressed his desire to create an “Asian version of NATO” and bring equality to the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement.
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“I think there’s different elements of strategic competition taking place in the Indo-Pacific,” Blair said in an interview with Bloomberg News in Seoul late Wednesday. “It may take a different form than what we see in NATO.”
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“I think what we’re seeing is the emergence of a lattice of security arrangements and cooperation, information sharing. I think there is value in that,” Blair said.
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Speaking at the 13th edition of the dialogue, Bauer pointed to "the most dangerous world in decades, with the highest number of conflicts since the Second World War"
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The Individually Tailored Partnership Programme (ITPP) signed between South Korea and NATO in July 2023 has laid the groundwork for cooperation between the two, the admiral said. The agreement focuses on areas such as counterterrorism, women, peace and security, arms control, and climate change.
In addition, the two sides signed an agreement in July for the mutual recognition of military airworthiness certification for South Korea's domestically manufactured aircraft. This marks the first such deal NATO has made with an Asian country.
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(Yonhap Interview) Top NATO military officer says N. Korea-Russia cooperation driven by self-interest 'more than anything else' | Yonhap News Agency (yna.co.kr)
"It is now to both of us, South Korea and NATO, to look where we can practically work together and achieve results that are beneficial for both," Bauer said.
South Korea, a NATO partner in the Indo-Pacific region, has stepped up cooperation with the 32-member military alliance, joining NATO-led cyber defense drills, as well as the two sides signing an agreement on a mutual recognition process for military airworthiness certification in July.
Bauer also hailed South Korea's support for Ukraine as "fantastic," which has so far consisted of non-lethal aid, such as mine clearing equipment and other supplies.
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#Miscellaneous #Iran #Iraq
Islamic Republic finally advancing nuclear “weapons group” activities - The Jerusalem Post (jpost.com)
“My argument about Iran, which is contrary to lots of people, is that Iran doesn’t want to possess a nuclear weapon, but wants to be able to possess a nuclear weapon. They are flirting with breakout. They can produce enough fissile material in a matter of weeks. But they have not chosen to do it. By not crossing that line, from which they could never come back, they can work on the US and the Europeans for concessions.”
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The Iranian president visited a monument to Qassem Soleimani, the former head of Iran‘s elite Quds Force – a part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – who was?killed in a 2020 attack?by the United States in Baghdad.
In March last year, Tehran signed a security agreement with the federal government in Baghdad after launching air raids against bases of Iranian Kurdish rebel groups in the autonomous region.
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